Management
Appeals court keeps limits on DHS immigration enforcement near churches
The ruling requires Homeland Security Department agents to follow the more restrictive Biden-era rules at the affected houses of worship while the case moves forward.
Oversight
The watchdog gets watched: GAO’s hiring process length faces scrutiny
In a new report by the inspector general for the Government Accountability Office, investigators also found that in fiscal 2024 the agency excluded certain data from time-to-hire calculations and was inconsistent about when the hiring process started.
Management
The CDC director’s job just got a lot more complicated
Dr. Erica Schwartz is taking over an agency facing a string of outbreaks, political pressure and deep workforce cuts. Her Senate confirmation gives Congress a new way to hold her accountable.
Management
Plans to move FBI headquarters to Reagan Building blocked by federal judge
A federal judge in Maryland ruled that the Trump administration's decision to move the FBI headquarters to the Ronald Reagan Building runs counter to spending bills passed by Congress.
Sponsor Content
GSA’s Multiple Award Schedule Program: A Modern Acquisition Solution for Government Buyers
Discover how GSA’s Multiple Award Schedule can accelerate procurement, expand contractor access, and help agencies maximize mission value.
Tech
Social Security expands electronic health record sharing to speed up disability claims adjudication
A health data sharing superhighway “allows SSA to access complete, structured medical records within seconds or minutes for claimants, helping to significantly reduce disability claim processing times,” an agency official told Nextgov/FCW.
Oversight
Attorney general violated Hatch Act ethics rules, nonprofit says
Good government groups have filed Hatch Act complaints against several Trump administration officials.
Management
USDA hasn’t looked at staff attrition ahead of relocations, but downplays its impact
Internal data shows the department is preparing for significant churn as it presses forward with office moves, raising questions about whether new staff can fill the gap left by seasoned experts.
Sponsor Content
From Experimentation to Execution: The State of Agentic AI in the Federal Government
Explore how federal agencies are moving from AI experimentation to deployment and the strategies needed to overcome adoption barriers.
Oversight
Getting a simple FOIA request from OPM shouldn’t be this hard
COMMENTARY | A frequent FOIA requester found himself navigating dead inboxes, broken portals and months-long waits after cuts gutted the Office of Personnel Management’s public records operation.
FEATURED INSIGHTS
Pay & Benefits
Bill expanding paid leave for feds is pared back in Senate
The upper chamber’s version of legislation extending 12 weeks of paid family leave each year to federal workers removes provisions allowing it to be used in connection with helping a family member who has been the victim of sexual assault, domestic violence or stalking.
Management
National crisis and support hotline operations remained consistent despite staffing cuts, watchdog found
Some staff operating mental health support hotlines at the departments of Health and Human Services and Veterans Affairs were subject to reductions in force last year and have not yet been replaced.
Management
EPA’s cancer-risk data has gone dark
The agency is still publishing air pollution data, but a key part of its analysis is missing from the latest release.
TSP TICKER
FUND
G
F
C
S
I
AUG 18 CLOSE
$20.1394
$20.8421
$123.9253
$118.6624
$65.5124
DAILY CHANGE
0.0027
0.0184
-0.8572
-1.9772
-0.9028
THIS MONTH (%)
0.24
0.37
2.75
4.10
2.34
FUND
L 2070
L 2060
L 2050
L 2040
L 2030
L INCOME
AUG 18 CLOSE
$14.6614
$24.7411
$46.9677
$75.7571
$63.7041
$31.0541
DAILY CHANGE
-0.1534
-0.2589
-0.4016
-0.5662
-0.3550
-0.0868
THIS MONTH (%)
2.76
2.76
2.34
2.08
1.63
0.97
FUND
AUG 18
CLOSE
CLOSE
DAILY
CHANGE
CHANGE
THIS
MONTH
MONTH
G
$20.1394
0.0027
0.24
F
$20.8421
0.0184
0.37
C
$123.9253
-0.8572
2.75
S
$118.6624
-1.9772
4.10
I
$65.5124
-0.9028
2.34
L 2070
$14.6614
-0.1534
2.76
L 2060
$24.7411
-0.2589
2.76
L 2050
$46.9677
-0.4016
2.34
L 2040
$75.7571
-0.5662
2.08
L 2030
$63.7041
-0.3550
1.63
L INCOME
$31.0541
-0.0868
0.97
Defense
The Army gave General Dynamics $533M to build an artillery plant that produced nothing
Instead of making shells, the assembly robots kept failing in bizarre ways—and that's just for starters.
Tech
Labor looks to AI to tackle accommodation requests from disabled employees
Employees say they’ve waited months or longer for decisions, as the Labor Department considers using AI to sort requests and flag missing documentation.
Tech
OneGov savings balloon to over $1.6B as agencies weigh future of AI in contracting
The General Services Administration has already agreed to extend some OneGov deals and is working on brokering new ones, according to an official.
Workforce
OPM finalizes expanded hazard pay for federal firefighters
Under regulations set to take effect next month, federal wildland firefighters will be eligible for 25% hazard pay in connection with work on prescribed burns.
Tech
Intel ops are underway at Space Command’s nascent Alabama HQ
Alabama landed SPACECOM after a years-long political fight. Now it’s getting off the ground.
Pay & Benefits
Lawsuit seeks to enforce 2025 SCOTUS decision improving pay for feds called to active duty
In the 15 months since the Supreme Court ruled that federal workers who also serve as military reservists do not need to prove that an active duty deployment is “substantially connected” to a national emergency, OPM has yet to issue new guidance reflecting the new precedent.
Pay & Benefits
Before you take money out of your TSP, weigh these trade-offs
A withdrawal can affect everything from your tax bill and Medicare premiums to how long your savings last and what your heirs receive.
Tech
The feds want private companies to take the fight to cybercriminals
A new program would put vetted companies in a more active role against transnational criminal groups, with DHS and Justice overseeing the operations.
Exclusive
Workforce
Statistical agency staffing cuts put federal data under new scrutiny on Capitol Hill
House Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott, D-Va., is pressing for a September hearing to examine what staffing losses and leadership vacancies mean for agencies responsible for producing key data.
Oversight
State’s overseas housing rules haven’t kept up with the times, GAO says
The agency is still using standards tied to the D.C. housing market of 1991 to determine how much space employees stationed abroad can have.
Workforce
State Department expands push to reclassify employees as at-will workers
An expanded search for more Schedule Policy/Career conversions is still in its early stages, but a department employee says the effort is “moving relatively fast.”
Tech
Space Command says it needs to ‘shoot, move and communicate’ in orbit
Gen. Stephen Whiting, the outgoing commander of U.S. Space Command, used his final speech at the Space and Missile Defense Symposium in Huntsville, Ala., to outline the capabilities he says the military needs to keep pace with China.
